Apparatus for remotely controlling another apparatus and having self-orientating capability

ABSTRACT

A remote control apparatus for communicating with a target device includes: a sensing portion for sensing points of user contact with the apparatus, user gestures, and an acceleration value of the apparatus; a transmitting device for sending signals representative of user commands to the target device; a controller; and a memory including instructions for configuring the controller to perform a self-orientation process based upon at least one of the acceleration value and the points of user contact to determine a forward direction of a plane of operation for defining the user gestures. An axis of the determined plane of operation substantially intersects the apparatus at any angle.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application incorporates by reference the contents of:

U.S. application Ser. No. 11/977,348 filed on 24 Oct. 2007, which isentitled “Touchpad-Enabled Remote Controller and User InteractionMethods”;

U.S. application Ser. No. 12/115,102 filed on 5 May 2008, which isentitled “Direction and Holding-Style Invariant, Symmetric Design, Touchand Button based Remote User Interaction”;

U.S. application Ser. No. 12/235,862 filed on 23 Sep. 2008 which isentitled “Touch Sensitive Remote Control System that Detects Hand SizeCharacteristics of User and Adapts Mapping to Screen Display”;

U.S. application Ser. No. 12/237,143 filed on 24 Sep. 2008 which isentitled “Multi-touch Surface Providing Detection and Tracking ofMultiple Touch Points”; and

U.S. application Ser. No. 12/732,087 filed on 25 Mar. 2010 which isentitled “Physically Reconfigurable Input and Output Systems andMethods”.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The technical field relates generally to an apparatus for remotelycontrolling another apparatus and, more particularly, to an apparatuswhich can recognize user actions and gestures for generating commands toremotely control another apparatus.

BACKGROUND

A conventional apparatus for remotely controlling (commonly referred toas a remote controller) a target device such as a television or otherconsumer electronic equipment includes a radio frequency (RF)transceiver for sending signals representing control commands to thetelevision. However, such a remote controller must be properly orientedby the user toward the television so that the signals are successfullyreceived by the television.

The remote controller can include a power source such as a battery. Whenthe useful operating period of the battery has been exhausted, the userwill have to install a new battery in order to continue to use theremote controller.

Further, if the remote controller is used to control a different devicesuch as another television, a burdensome association process may have tobe performed so that the remote controller can communicate with thetelevision.

SUMMARY

An apparatus such as a remote controller according to various exemplaryembodiments can perform a self-orientation process so that it canproperly communicate with a target device regardless of its initialorientation.

Different user characteristics may affect the calculations for achievingself-orientation. The remote control device according to the variousexemplary embodiments can recognize characteristics particular to theuser in order to achieve a more accurate self-orientation.

The remote controller can be used to control a target device such as acomputing terminal. The remote controller and the computing terminal mayshare a common docking station as a base. In this case, the remotecontrol according to the various exemplary embodiments can receive powerand/or power charging capability from the common docking station.Further, the remote control device according to the various exemplaryembodiments can pair with the computing terminal so that the two cancommunicate by merely locating the remote control device on or near thecommon docking station.

Accordingly, the present disclosure concerns an apparatus forcommunicating with a target device including: a sensing portion forsensing points of user contact with the apparatus, user gestures, and anacceleration value of the apparatus; a transmitting device for sendingsignals representative of user commands to the target device; acontroller; and a memory including instructions for configuring thecontroller to perform a self-orientation process based upon at least oneof the acceleration value and the points of user contact to determine aforward direction of a plane of operation for defining the usergestures, wherein an axis of the determined plane of operationsubstantially intersects the apparatus at any angle. The controller canbe configured to interpret the user gestures and generate the signalsrepresentative of the user commands based upon the interpreted usergestures.

The apparatus can further include a casing permitting signals to betransmitted substantially along the axis of the plane of operation. Thecasing can have a top portion, a wall portion and a bottom portion. Amagnetic portion disposed on at least a portion of one of the wallportion, the top portion and the bottom portion of the casing permitsthe apparatus to be attached with another magnetic surface. The sensingportion can include a touch sensor layer disposed on a portion of atleast one of the wall portion, the top portion and the bottom portionfor receiving the user gestures.

The touch sensor layer can have a flexible surface with a selectivelyvariable shape. The sensing portion includes an actuation sensingcomponent for sensing actuation activity associated with the shape inthe touch sensor layer. The flexible surface and actuation sensingcomponent interact to provide both input and output to a user of theapparatus. The flexible surface may have a selectively variable shape.The actuation sensing component can sense actuation activity associatedwith the shape in the surface. Further, the apparatus may includeelevation units that adjust a physical shape of an input and outputsurface area, wherein the controller is further configured to adjustparticular ones of the elevation units.

The apparatus can include a power management unit and an antenna portioncoupled to the power management unit. The antenna portion can beeconfigured to receive power from a base device. Further, the powermanagement unit can be configured to recharge a rechargeable powersource utilizing the received power. The antenna portion can include aradio frequency antenna for receiving the power by radio frequencycommunication, a coil antenna for receiving the power by magneticcoupling or a capacitive plate antenna for receiving the power bycapacitive coupling.

The sensing portion can sense if the apparatus is within a predetermineddistance of a base device or the target device; and the controller isfurther configured to generate a signal representative of anidentification of the apparatus to be transmitted by the transmittingdevice to the base device or the target device when the apparatus iswithin the predetermined distance.

The transmitting device can include the antenna portion and thecontroller can be configured to control the transmitting device totransmit to the base device or the target device a signal includingcharacteristics particular to the antenna portion as an identificationof the apparatus when the apparatus is within the predetermineddistance.

The apparatus can also includes a receiving device for receiving arequest to associate the apparatus with a base device or the targetdevice, wherein the controller is further configured to generate asignal representative of an identification of the apparatus to betransmitted by the transmitting device to the base device or the targetdevice when the apparatus receives the request.

The apparatus can further includes a user input portion for receiving arequest to associate the apparatus with a base device or the targetdevice, wherein the controller is further configured to generate asignal representative of an identification of the apparatus to betransmitted by the transmitting device to the base device or the targetdevice when the apparatus receives the request.

The sensing portion can senses motion characteristics associated with auser of the apparatus. The controller can be configured to generate asignal representative of the motion characteristics to be transmitted bythe transmitting device to a base device or the target device. Thesensed motion characteristics include data represented in the timedomain. The controller is further configured to shift the datarepresented in the time domain to be data represented in the frequencydomain, and to extract low-dimensional data with high discriminatingproperties from the data represented in the frequency domain to generatethe signal representative of the motions characteristics.

For example, the sensed motion characteristics include one of a usertremor pattern and a user movement range.

The controller can be configured to store in the memory a gesture motionhistory, and to generate a signal representative of the gesture motionhistory to be transmitted by the transmitting device to a base device orthe target device.

The apparatus can also include a receiving device for receiving a userfeedback request from another device; and a user feedback device forproviding user feedback, wherein the controller is further configured tocontrol the user feedback device to provide the user feedback when thereceiving device receives the user feedback request.

An apparatus according to an embodiment includes a sensing portion forsensing points of user contact with the apparatus and an accelerationvalue of the apparatus; a controller; and a memory includinginstructions for configuring the controller to perform aself-orientation process based upon at least one of the accelerationvalue and the points of user contact to define a forward direction ofuser gestures, wherein the forward direction can be fixed along anyangle with the apparatus.

An apparatus according to an embodiment includes an accelerometer fordetermining an acceleration value associated with the apparatus; agyroscope for measuring angular rotation associated with the apparatusto provide an orientation value; a touch sensor for sensing points ofuser contact with the apparatus; and a self-orientation determinationdevice for determining a plane of operation defining user gestures basedupon the acceleration value, orientation value and points of usercontact, wherein the plane of operation is rotatable at any angle of theapparatus.

The touch sensor can be disposed on a portion of at least one of a wallportion, a top portion and a bottom portion of the apparatus fordetecting the user gestures, and the apparatus further includes: agesture type determining device for determining if the user gesture isan absolute-type gesture or a relative-type gesture; a gesture directiondetermination device for determining a direction of the absolute-typegesture; and a gesture interpretation device for interpreting theabsolute-type gesture and relative-type gesture as user commands.

A system according to an embodiment includes a remote control device forremotely controlling a target device. The target device includes aninterface for receiving signals representative of user commandswirelessly from the remote control device; and a controller forexecuting instructions based upon the user commands. The remote controldevice includes: a sensing portion for sensing points of user contactwith the apparatus, user gestures, and an acceleration value of theremote control device; a transmitting device for sending the signalsrepresentative of the user commands to the target device; a controller;a memory including instructions for configuring the controller toperform a self-orientation process based upon at least one of theacceleration value and the points of user contact to determine a forwarddirection of a plane of operation for defining the user gestures, and tointerpret the user gestures as the user commands; and a transmittingdevice for sending signals representative of the user commands to thetarget device, wherein an axis of the determined plane of operationsubstantially intersects the remote control device at any angle.

A method of remotely communicating user commands from a first apparatusto a target apparatus based upon user gestures input at the firstapparatus according to an embodiment includes: sensing points of usercontact with the first apparatus and an acceleration value of the remotecontrol device; determining a forward direction of a plane of operationbased upon at least one of the acceleration value and the points of usercontact, wherein the plane of operation defines an input space for theuser gestures and the plane of operation substantially intersects thefirst apparatus at any angle; interpreting the user gestures into theuser commands; and transmitting signals representative of the usercommands to the target apparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying figures, in which like reference numerals refer toidentical or functionally similar elements, together with the detaileddescription below are incorporated in and form part of the specificationand serve to further illustrate various exemplary embodiments andexplain various principles and advantages in accordance with the presentinvention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a simplified andrepresentative operating environment in which an apparatus remotelycontrols a target apparatus.

FIGS. 2A-2C are diagrams illustrating exemplary operating planes on theapparatus according to exemplary embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a top view of the apparatus accordingto exemplary embodiments.

FIG. 4A is a diagram illustrating an exemplary cross-sectional view ofthe apparatus of FIG. 3 along lines 4A-4A of FIG. 3.

FIG. 4B is an exploded view showing exemplary portions of the apparatus.

FIG. 4C is a diagram illustrating an elevation view of the apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of exemplary portions of the apparatusaccording to exemplary embodiments.

FIGS. 6A-6E are flow diagrams illustrating exemplary operations of theapparatus according to exemplary embodiments.

FIGS. 7A-7F are illustrations of exemplary user gesture types.

FIGS. 8A-8E are illustrations of an exemplary use cases of theapparatus.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a simplified andrepresentative operating environment in which the apparatus remotelycontrols a target apparatus and communicates with a base device.

FIGS. 10A-10D are illustrations of an exemplary use case of theapparatus.

FIG. 11 is an illustration of a portion of the apparatus in accordancewith an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 12 is an illustration of a portion of the apparatus in accordancewith an exemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In overview, the present disclosure concerns an apparatus to be used asa remote control device for remotely controlling another electronicapparatus such as a television, a communication device, a computingdevice or a base device. The remotely controlled electronic apparatuswill be referred to sometimes here generally as a target device ortarget apparatus. The apparatus for remotely controlling the targetdevice will be referred to sometimes here generally as a remote controldevice or remote control apparatus. The remote control device may beimplemented within a system including the base device and one or moretarget devices.

The present disclosure also concerns processors for the remote controldevice, base device and the target device, memories associated with theprocessors, and computer readable instructions stored in the memoriesfor configuring the processors. More particularly, various inventiveconcepts and principles are embodied in systems, apparatuses, andmethods for establishing a plane of operation to define user gesturesinput by a user of the remote control device, and to interpret the usergestures.

The instant disclosure is provided to further explain in an enablingfashion the best modes of performing one or more embodiments of thepresent invention. The use of relational terms such as first and second,top and bottom, and the like, if any, are used solely to distinguish onefrom another entity, item, or action without necessarily requiring orimplying any actual such relationship or order between such entities,items or actions.

It is noted that some embodiments may include a plurality of processesor steps, which can be performed in any order, unless expressly andnecessarily limited to a particular order; i.e., processes or steps thatare not so limited may be performed in any order.

Much of the inventive functionality and the inventive principles whenimplemented, are best supported with or in computer instructions(software) or integrated circuits (ICs), and/or application specificICs. It is expected that one of ordinary skill, notwithstanding possiblysignificant effort and many design choices motivated by, for example,available time, current technology, and economic considerations, whenguided by the concepts and principles disclosed herein will be readilycapable of generating such software instructions or ICs with minimalexperimentation. Therefore, in the interest of brevity and minimizationof any risk of obscuring the principles and concepts according to thepresent invention, further discussion of such software and ICs, if any,will be limited to the essentials with respect to the principles andconcepts used by the exemplary embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 1, a simplified and representative operatingenvironment in which a method, system or apparatus for remotelycontrolling a target device is implemented will be discussed withregards to the remote control device 102 and the target device 104. Theremote control device 102 transmits signals representative of usercommands wirelessly to the target device 104 and can also receivessignals representative of messages from the target device 104. The usercommands may include commands for changing the operation of the targetdevice 104 such as adjusting the volume output, screen arrangement, etc.The target device 104 can include an interface 106, a controller 108 anda memory 110. The interface 106 wirelessly receives the signalsrepresentative of the user commands and transmits the signalsrepresentative of the messages. The controller 108 executes instructionsstored in a memory 110 to adjust properties of the target device 104such as, for example, volume level, based upon the user commands andgenerates the signals representative of messages.

Referring to FIG. 9, another simplified and representative operatingenvironment in which a method, system or apparatus for remotelycontrolling a target device is implemented with regards to the remotecontrol device 902, the target device 904 and the base device 906 willbe discussed. The base device 906 also includes an interface 9062, acontroller 9064 and a memory 9068. The controller 9064 may provide, aswell as other capabilities, a charging unit for providing power to thetarget device 904 and/or the remote control device 902, or to generallyfunction as the main power unit for the system. The base device 906 canbe a hub for accessories such as a gesture sensor, telephony system withcradle, speakerphone, printer and etc. For example, the target device904 can be docked with the base device 906 so that a battery in thetarget device 904 is recharged. Generally, the base device 906 can beany device capable of sending electrical power to the remote controldevice 902 as described later.

Referring to FIG. 3, the remote control device 300 preferably has asymmetric shape. A conventional remote control device has a rectangularshape which requires a user to hold the remote control device inoriented towards the target device. In contrast, the symmetric shape ofthe remote control device 300 does not require a user to orient ittoward the target device. Although the shape of this exemplary remotecontrol device 300 is circular, the remote control device 300 may haveany symmetric shape.

Referring to FIGS. 4A-4C, portions of the exemplary remote controldevice 400 will be discussed. The remote control device 400 includes thesymmetrically shaped casing, which has a top portion 402, a wall portion404, and a bottom portion 406. The casing can include a magnetic portion412 for permitting the remote control device 400 to be attached withanother magnetic surface, a touch sensor layer 410 for detecting usergestures and a circuit board 414 with various circuitries forimplementing many of the functions of the remote control device 400. Inthis embodiment, the touch sensor layer 410 and the magnetic portion 412are shown as being disposed on the top portion 402 and the bottomportion 406, respectively. However, these portions can be disposed onany portion of one of the wall portion 404, the top portion 402 and thebottom portion 406.

The touch sensor layer 410 can be a capacitive touch surface which isdisposed on the top portion 402 as shown in FIG. 4A or around an outsideperipheral portion of the top portion 402 or the wall portion 404 asshown in FIGS. 4B-4C. Different fascia can be placed on differentportions of the remote control device 400 to suit particular usages andmapped controls. The touch sensor layer 410 can detect where fingers aretouching relative to the normal position of a hand, including whetherthe hand is a right or left hand. The touch sensor layer 410 can alsodetect non-human touches. For example, a dog biting the remote controldevice 400 or other situations that would keep the device inactive asopposed to activating the remote control features of the device can bedetected by the touch sensor layer 410.

Referring to FIG. 5, circuit-level portions of the remote control device500 will be discussed. The remote control device 500 can include atransceiver 502, a memory 504, a controller 506, a sensing group 508, anantenna portion 510, a user input/out portion 512, a power managementportion 514 and a power source 516.

The transceiver 502 can implement the receiving and transmittingfunctions of the remote control device 500. Alternatively, the device500 can include separate receiving and transmitting devices. Thetransceiver 502 sends and receives signals to and from other devicessuch as the base device 906 or the target device 904. The signals mayinclude signals representative of user commands, requests to associatethe remote control device 500 with another device; an identification ofthe remote control device 500, etc. The transceiver 502 can includeradio technology circuitry such as, for example, ZigBee, Bluetooth andWiFi.

The sensing group 508 includes sensing portions for sensing points ofuser contact with the remote control device 500, user gestures, anacceleration value of the remote control device 500, motioncharacteristics associated with a user of the remote control device 500,if the remote control device is within a distance from another devicesuch as the base device 906 or the target device 904. The sensing group508 can include a set of accelerometers for determining the accelerationvalue of the device 500, a digital compass that collects orientationinformation about the device 500, a gyroscope for measuring angularrotation associated with the apparatus to provide an orientation value,a proximity sensor for detecting if the device 500 is within apredetermined distance of another device such as the base device 906 orthe target device 904, and the touch sensor layer for sensing the pointsof user contact and user gestures. The sensed motion characteristics caninclude one or both of a user tremor pattern and a user movement range.Preferably, the sensed motion characteristics include data representedin the time domain. The accelerometers can detect subtle movements alongthe three axial directions. The accelerometer reading, when combinedwith the data from the digital compass and/or the gyroscope, canfacilitate detection of user gesture movements in the air.

The memory 504 can be one or a combination of a variety of types ofmemory or computer readable medium such as random access memory (RAM),read only memory (ROM), flash memory, dynamic RAM (DRAM) or the like.The memory 504 includes instructions for configuring the controller 506as well as a basic operating system, executable code, and data andvariables such as a gesture motion history.

The controller 506 is the main processing unit for interfacing with theother portions of the remote control device 500. The controller 506 canbe configured by the instructions in the memory 504 to: perform aself-orientation process based upon at least one of the accelerationvalue and the points of user contact to determine a forward direction ofa plane of operation for defining the user gestures; interpret usergestures and generate the signals representative of the user commandsbased upon the interpreted user gestures; generate a signalrepresentative of an identification of the apparatus to be transmittedto another device such as the base device 906 or the target device 904when the device 500 is within the predetermined distance of the anotherdevice or when the device receives signals representative of a requestto associate the remote control device 500 with the another device;generate a signal representative of the motion characteristics andpoints of user contact; and generally control the various portions ofthe device 500. The identification can include characteristicsparticular to the antenna 510. The controller 506 can be a generalpurpose central processing unit (CPU) or a specific integrated circuit(IC). For example, the controller 506 can be implemented a 32 bitmicrocontroller.

The identification portion 518 is for storing an identificationparticular to the device 500. Although the identification portion 518 isillustrated as a separate portion, it can also be integrated with theantenna 510 or the transceiver 502, or be stored in the memory 504.

The user input/output portion 512 includes: a microphone for allowing auser to initiate voice commands; a vibration mechanism that allows forthe device 500 to vibrate according to predetermined patterns inresponse to predetermined events; an electrical field generator forcreating a stimulus in the skin of the user's finger, a speaker forplaying digital sound in response to different notifications or triggersreceived from another device or generated internally; and LED lights forchanging color or blinking in response to different notifications ortriggers received from another device or generated internally. The userinput/output portion 512 may also include a close proximity gesturesensor for allowing touch-less interaction. For example, if a user'shands are occupied or dirty, the user can merely wave a hand or gestureto use the device 500.

The antenna portion 510 can include one or more types of antenna capableof receiving and transmitting electromagnetic waves from and to thetarget device 904 or the base device 906. The antenna portion 510 can beseparate from the transceiver 502 or implemented within the transceiver502. The antenna portion 510 can include, for example, an RF antenna, acoil antenna and/or a capacitive plate antenna.

The power management portion 514 generally manages the power source 516and controls power to other portions of the remote control device 500.The power management portion 514 can also include an energy harvestingfunction for generating electrical power for powering the remote controldevice 500 and/or charging the power source 516 by receiving power fromanother device such as the target device 904 or the base device 906. Forexample, the antenna portion 510 can receive power from the targetdevice 904 or the base device 906. For example, an RF antenna canreceive power via radio frequency communication, a coil antenna canreceive power via magnetic coupling or a capacitive plate antenna canreceive the power via capacitive coupling. The energy harvestingfunction of the power management portion 514 can use the received powerfor the portions of the remote control device 500. If the power source516 is a rechargeable power source, the received power can be used torecharge the power source 516.

As discussed above, the controller 506 performs a self-orientationprocess to determine a forward direction of a plane of operation fordefining the user gestures. Generally, the forward direction of theplane of operation is determined based upon the position of the userwith respect to remote control device. Referring to FIGS. 2A-2G,exemplary planes of operation and forward directions thereof will bediscussed in detail. Referring to FIG. 2A, for purposes of discussion,front and rear portions and right and left sides of the remote controldevice 200 are shown. The front portion is illustrated with parallelline shading, while the rear section is illustrated with crossingparallel line shading. Further, for purposes of discussion, theintersection between the center vertical and horizontal axis can bedefined as a center portion of the remote control device 200. The planeof operation 202 can exist on the remote control device 200. The usercan make various motions over the plane of operation 202 that aredetected by the touch sensor portion and defined as user gestures. Thatis, the plane of operation 202 defines an input space for the user tomake user gestures.

Due to the symmetrical shape of the casing of the remote control device200, an axis of or forward direction of the plane of operation 202 canbe rotated with respect to the remote control device 200. Accordingly,signals representative of the user gestures can be transmittedsubstantially along the axis of the plane of operation. In the exampleshown in FIG. 2A, the forward direction 204 of the plane of operation202 is substantially toward the front portion and the axis of the planeof operation intersects the center portion of the remote control device200 at substantially 0 degrees. That is, in this example, the horizontaland vertical axes of the plane of operation exist on the same axes ofthe remote control device. This example may be applicable to a case inwhich the user is orienting the front portion of the remote controldevice 200 in the forward direction or away from the user.

In the example shown in FIG. 2B, the forward direction 204 of the planeof operation 202 is substantially toward the right side and the axis ofthe plane of operation intersects the center portion of the remotecontrol device 200 at substantially −90 degrees. That is, the horizontaland vertical axes of the plane of operation are located on the verticaland horizontal axes of the remote control device 200 (complementary).This example may be applicable to a case in which the user is pointingthe right side of the remote control device 200 in the forward directionor away from the user.

In the example shown in FIG. 2C, the forward direction 204 of the planeof operation 202 is substantially toward the front portion-right sideand the axis of the plane of operation intersects the center portion ofthe remote control device 200 at substantially 45 degrees. That is, thehorizontal and vertical axes of the plane of operation (dashed lines)are rotated 45 degrees from the horizontal and vertical axes of theremote control device 200 (solid lines). This example may be applicableto a case in which the user is pointing the front portion and right sideof the remote control device 200 in the forward direction or away fromthe user.

Generally, the forward direction 204 of the plane of operation 202 andthe axis of the plane of operation can intersect the center portion ofthe remote control device 200 at any angle. Accordingly, in comparisonwith the conventional remote control device, the user is not required toorient any particular portion of the remote control device 200 towardsthe target device.

Referring to the flow diagram illustrated in FIG. 6A, operationsperformed by portions of the remote control device 500 for determiningthe forward direction of the plane of operation and interpreting usergestures will be discussed. At 602, the sensing group 508 senses pointsof user contact with the remote control device 500. The points of usercontact can be sensed by, for example, the touch sensor layer 410.Alternatively, a gesture motion history including data representative ofthe last known points of user contact can be accessed from the memory504.

At 604, the sensing group 508 determines an acceleration valueassociated with the remote control device 500. The acceleration valuecan be determined by a set of accelerometers included among sensors ofthe sensing group 508.

At 606, the controller 506 of the remote control device 500 estimatesthe forward direction of the plane of operation based upon theacceleration value and/or the points of user contact. For example, whenthe remote control device 500 has been placed on a flat surface, thecontroller 506 may estimate the forward direction based upon the lastknown detected points of user contact which may be stored in the memory504 as gesture motion history. Alternatively, the controller 506 mayestimate the forward direction to be the opposite direction of thedetected gravitational field. Another alternative is for the user toinput a calibration user gesture in a particular direction which theuser desires to be defined as the forward direction of the operatingplane.

After the initial estimation of the forward direction, if the user makesa user gesture on the operating plane (YES at 608), the controller 506updates the estimation of the forward direction based upon the usergesture at 610. By estimating the forward direction of the operatingplane, the operating plane will be automatically aligned with theorientation of the target device or the base device. Accordingly, a usercan pick up the remote control device 500 without being preoccupiedabout the correct orientation. Another alternative is for the user toexplicitly express the forward direction by making a non-symmetricalgesture or generally a wake-up gesture registered in advance into thememory. It no user gesture is made (NO at 608), the process ends.

The types of user gestures include absolute-type gestures, relative-typegestures and point touch gestures. Example user gesture types are shownin FIGS. 7A-7F. Relative-type gestures include movement by the user torotate the remote control device in a circumferential direction as shownin FIG. 7A, movement by the user to rotate the remote control device ina radial direction as shown in FIG. 7B or the rotational motion of theuser's finger on the operating plane of the remote control device asshown in FIG. 7C. Absolute-type gestures include movement by the user ofthe remote control device in a particular direction as shown in FIG. 7D,or the motion of the user's finger in a particular direction on theoperating plane of the remote control device as shown in FIG. 7E. Apoint touch gesture includes a slight pressing motion of a user's fingeron the operating plane of the remote control device as shown in FIG. 7F.

At 612, the controller 506 determines if the user gesture is anabsolute-type gesture. For example, when the set of accelerometers ofthe sensing group detect lateral or longitudinal type movement of theremote control device, the controller 506 can determine the motion to beabsolute-type motion by comparing the acceleration values to thegyroscope and/or compass values. For touch gestures, the trajectory ofthe gesture can be analyzed to determine if it is an absolute-typegesture. If the user gesture is determined to be an absolute-typegesture (YES at 612), at 614 the controller 506 determines a directionof the absolute-type user gesture. The direction can be determined by,for example, sensing values obtained by the digital compass of thesensing group 508 and/or comparisons with the detected forward directionof the operating plane.

If the controller 506 determines that user gesture is not anabsolute-type gesture (NO at 612), or after the direction of the of theabsolute-type user gesture has been determined, at 616 the controllerinterprets the user gesture as a user command. The user gesture isinterpreted depending on the interface state. The user gesture isdescribed by the following characteristics transmitted by the controllerto the target device: Gesture type; Gesture direction and Gestureextent. For instance, if a phone call is received by the base device,the user can do a tick gesture on the top of the remote control deviceto accept the call or a cross gesture to refuse the call. The user couldalso simply shake the device to refuse the call or tap the top surfaceto accept. Once the call is established, the user can rotate the deviceto the right to increase the volume or to the left to decrease thevolume. To hang up, the user can realize the same gestures reserved forrefusing a call. These rules are defined in the user interaction logicof the application running into the base device, and do not need to beimplemented into the controller of the remote control device. Theinterpretation of the command by the controller can be based on simplepattern matching, which can be aided by the knowledge of the useridentification. Pattern matching algorithm can be simple DynamicProgramming, Neural Network, HMM, etc. The user commands can than betransmitted to the target device 904. The target device can furtherinterpret this command as an increase or decrease in volume, change indisplay format, etc.

At 618, the controller 506 again confirms or updates the estimation ofthe forward direction based upon the user gesture. Then, the routinereturns to 608 to begin operations on another user gesture.

The above operations can be done by the controller 506 configuredaccording to instructions stored in the memory 504 to operate as agesture type determining device for determining if the user gesture isan absolute-type gesture or a relative-type gesture; a gesture directiondetermination device for determining a direction of the absolute-typegesture and the relative-type gesture; and a gesture interpretationdevice for interpreting the absolute-type gesture and relative-typegestures as user commands.

An exemplary process for estimating the forward direction of the planeof operation based upon the acceleration value and/or the points of usercontact at 606 will be discussed in detail. The time series of theacceleration data is collected in the form of a three dimension datavector A=(accx, accy, accz). The standard deviation of the threedimension data vector A over a time window of a predetermined length isthen compared to a threshold value to establish if the remote controldevice 500 is resting on a support or in the hand of the user. If it isin the hand of the user, the pairing process discussed below withrespect to FIGS. 6B-6C can be performed if requested by the base device.

If the remote control device 500 is detected to be at rest, theacceleration vector is compared to the gravity vector to find theinclination of the base plane of the device with respect to the localterrestrial horizontal plane. If the inclination is greater than 45degrees, the forward direction of operation can be define by thedirection of the (−accx, −accy, 0) vector when the remote control device500 is at rest. If the support plane has low vertical inclination, thepoints of contact can be used to estimate a forward direction ofoperation. To this effect, a classifier is first used to identify thetype of holding pattern based on the vector of the points of contactvalues C=(C1, C2, . . . , Cn), where Cx denotes the intensity of thetouch on the x touch sensor (e.g. capacitance measured by a capacitivesensor). Such a classifier can be for instance an artificial neuralnetwork trained on the combination of recorded observation vector C andthe manually observed pattern during recording (left hand 4 finger forkgrab, left hand 4 finger circle grab, left hand 2 finger grab, righthand 4 finger fork grab, etc.). The number of groups can be adjustedbased on the user observation and the performance of the overalldirection estimation algorithm.

Once the grab pattern has been estimated, the forward direction iscomputed using a locally linear multi-dimensional regression analysis(MRA). In this case, the relationship between the points of contact andthe forward direction is assumed to be locally linear (sometimesreferred to as piecewise linear) after solution of the grab patternclassification problem, which yields a grab pattern g. This linearrelationship between forward direction angle (with respect to the devicereference) and sensor pattern may be expressed by the following equationwhere T is the angle and R is the regression matrix parameterized by thediscrete estimator g: T=Rg·C

An exemplary process for updating or confirming the estimation of theforward direction of the plane of operation based upon the user gestureat 610 will be discussed in detail. Once the forward direction isinitially estimated at 606, each absolute gesture will be interpretedwith respect to the current estimation of the forward direction. Oncethe type of gesture has been determined, the controller can then comparethe current forward direction estimation to the forward directionexpected from the observed gesture trajectory. For example, if thegesture is an up gesture, the forward direction is expected to be in thedirection of the gesture. The forward direction estimator can then beadjusted to minimize its deviation to the expected direction using asmoothing factor, e.g.:

FE(n+1)=(1−alpha)*FO(n)+alpha*FE(n), where FE(n+1) is the forwarddirection estimated after gesture n (expressed as a vector in the devicereference) and FO(n) is the forward direction expected after gesture n.

Referring to the flow diagram illustrated in FIG. 6B, operationsperformed by portions of the remote control device 500 for pairing withthe target device or the base device will be discussed. Pairing refersto a process the remote control device 500 performs to associate withanother device so that the two can successively transmit and receivesignals from each other and process the signals.

At 620, the controller 506 determines if the remote control device 500is within a predetermined distance of another device such as the basedevice or the target device. For example, a proximity sensor includedamong the sensing group 508 can sense when the remote control device 500is in contact with or very near the base device or the target device. Ifthe remote control device 500 is within the predetermined distance (YESat 620), at 622 the controller 506 generates a signal representative ofan identification of the device 500. At 624, the transceiver 502transmits the signal to the base device or the target device and theprocess ends. If the remote control device 500 is not within thepredetermined distance (NO at 620), then the process ends withoutsending the identification.

In an alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 6C, at 621 the controller 506determines if the remote control device 500 has received a pairingrequest to associate the remote control device 500 from anotherapparatus such as the base device or the target device. The request canbe received by the transceiver 502 or the user input/output portion 512.

If the remote control device has received the request (YES at 621), at623 the controller 506 generates the signal representative of anidentification of the remote control device 500. At 624, the transceiver502 transmits the signal to the apparatus from which the requestoriginated and the process ends. If the remote control device 500 doesnot receive a request (NO at 621), then the process ends without sendingthe identification.

The signal representative of the identification of the remote controldevice can include, for example, characteristics particular to theantenna portion 510, the identification particular to the device storedin the identification portion 518 or a particular gesture registeredinto the memory as a wakeup gesture.

Referring to the flow diagram illustrated in FIG. 6D, operationsperformed by portions of the remote control device 500 for sharing usercharacteristics will be discussed. Sharing refers to a process theremote control device 500 performs to transmit user characteristics toanother device such as the base device so that it can distinguishbetween different users. Accordingly, the base device can automaticallyidentify the user and activate a particular profile associated with theuser without having to explicitly request a user identification.

At 626, the sensing group 508 senses points of user contact with theremote control device 500. For example, the touch sensor portion 410 candetect where the user's fingers are touching relative to a normalposition of a hand, including whether the hand is a right or left hand.At 628, the sensing group 508 senses motion characteristics associatedwith the user of the remote control device 500. For example, theaccelerometer, gyroscope and/or compass included among the sensing group508 can sense the user tremor pattern and/or a user movement range.

At 630, the controller 506 stores the points of user contact and themotion characteristics as gesture motion history in the memory 504. At632 the remote control device 500 determines if it has received arequest for sensor information related to the user from, for example,the base device. The request can be received by the transceiver 502 orthe user input/output portion 512.

If the remote control device 500 has received the request (YES at 632),then at 634 the controller 506 generates a signal representative of themotion characteristics. Particularly, here the controller 506 shifts thedata for the motion characteristics which is represented in the timedomain to data represented in the frequency domain. Then, the controller506 extracts low-dimensional data with high discriminating propertiesfrom the data represented in the frequency domain. The controller 506generates a signal including the low-dimensional data with highdiscriminating properties as the signal representative of the motioncharacteristics.

For example, the time series of the acceleration data can be shiftedinto the frequency domain using a discrete wavelet transform. Thefilter-bank three can be optimized to reinforce the decompositionresolution around the typical hand tremor frequencies. Frequencycomponents outside of the range of interest (low frequencies, very highfrequencies) can be disregarded. The output of the filter-bank can beintegrated over time and packed into a vector, to which one can appendthe first and second order derivatives (delta and accelerationcoefficient). Alternatively, the filter-bank terminal node outputs canbe compressed using a logarithmic law and a DCT can be appliedthereafter. Delta and acceleration values can then be computed andappended to the vector.

At 640, the controller 506 generates a signal representative of thepoints of user contact. At 642, the transceiver 502 transmits thesignals to the base device. The process ends here for the controller506. The base device can perform operations to determine the user of theremote control device 500 by, for example, comparing the points of usercontacts and motion characteristics with data associated with know usersstored at a memory at the base device.

If the remote control device 500 does not receive the request (NO at632), the process can end. If a request is received at a later time, theprocess can continue from 634.

The operations performed by portions of the remote control device 500for sharing user characteristics can be performed in a different orderfrom described above. For example, the controller 506 can wait until arequest is received until beginning to store the gesture motion historyand points of user contact in the memory. Also, the controller 506 couldperform the operations for generating a signal including thelow-dimensional data with high discriminating properties as the signalrepresentative of the motion characteristics before receiving therequest. Alternatively, the controller 506 can send only one of themotion characteristics and the points of user contact to the base devicerather than both.

Referring to FIG. 6E, operations performed by portions of the remotecontrol device 500 for providing feedback to the user will be discussed.At 652 the remote control device 500 determines if it has received auser feedback request from the base device or the target device. Therequest can be received by the transceiver 502 or the user input/outputportion 512.

If the remote control device has received the request (YES at 652), thenat 654 the remote control device 500 categorizes the request.Particularly, the user input/output portion 512 of the remote controldevice 500 can include multiple feedback mechanisms to inform users ofdifferent device events such as, for example, a vibration mechanism, anelectrical field generator, a speaker and LED lights. The requests maybe sent by the target device or the base device in response to events.For example, the target device or the base device may request for theremote control device to vibrate for a certain system event, for thespeaker to output particular sounds in response to alerts, or for theLED lights to change colors and/or blink in a predetermined pattern inresponse to different notifications and alerts. The request may also begenerated by the user of the remote control device. Accordingly, thecontroller categorizes the request so that the feedback can be tailoredto the request. For example, a request for the remote control device tovibrate can be put in a category associated with vibration relatedevents, while a request for the remote control device 500 to output acertain color display pattern can be associated with LED related events.

At 656, the controller 506 controls the user input/output portion 512 toprovide the appropriate feedback in accordance with the category of therequest. If the remote control device does not receive the request (NOat 652), then the process ends.

One exemplary case of feedback being provided to the user will bediscussed. As discussed above, the remote control device 500 includes apower management portion 514 and a power source 516 that can berechargeable. When the remote control device 500 is in contact or nearcontact with a base device, the base device may begin recharging thepower source 516 by, for example, an inductive or other wirelesscharging schemes. The power management portion 514 makes an indicationthat it is in a recharging status, which is detected by the controller506. The controller 506 can make the LEDs of the user input/outputportion 512 display a certain color to indicate that the remote controldevice 500 is in a recharging state. In this case, the wireless powerbeing sent from the base device to the remote control device 500 canserve as the request of 652.

Referring to FIGS. 8A-8C, a first exemplary use scenario for the remotecontrol device 500 will be discussed. As shown in FIG. 8A, the remotecontrol device 500 is in an idle state. As shown in FIG. 8B, the userinitially contacts the remote control device 500 and awakes it from anidle state. The above operations discussed with reference to FIG. 6A canbegin here. As shown in FIG. 8C, the user rotates the remote controldevice 500. This user gesture is interpreted by the remote controldevice, and transmitted to the target device.

Referring to FIGS. 8D-8E, a second exemplary use scenario for the remotecontrol device 500 will be discussed. As shown in FIG. 8D, the remotecontrol device 500 is in an idle state and held on a vertical surfacesuch as the door of a refrigerator. The device 500 can be held by, forexample, the magnetic portion 412. As shown in FIG. 8E, the user rotatesthe remote control device 500 clockwise or counterclockwise to increaseor decrease the volume of the output of the target device while itremains on the vertical surface. The rotation of the remote controldevice 500 automatically awakes it from the idle state to begindetermining the forward direction of the plane of operation and then tointerpret the user gesture.

Referring to FIGS. 10A-10D, a third exemplary use scenario for theremote control device 500 will be discussed. As shown in FIG. 10A, theremote control device 500 is in an idle state and on a horizontalsurface such as a table. As shown in FIG. 10B, the user picks up theremote control device 500 and automatically awakes it from the idlestate to begin determining the forward direction of the plane ofoperation. As shown in FIGS. 10C-10D, the user slides a finger forwardor backward and left or right to move the screen display of the targetdevice.

Referring to FIGS. 11-12, an alternative embodiment for the remotecontrol device will be discussed. A portion of the remote control devicesuch as, for example, the top portion 402 can include a reconfigurablesurface having elevation units 21 situated in a matrix arrangement thatadjust a physical shape of an input and output surface area. Further, aflexible surface with a selectively variable shape can cover theelevation units 21. The elevation units 13 and 14 can be selectivelyraised to form part of a tactile physically clickable input (e.g., akey, button, joystick, etc.) to allow the user to adjust certainproperties of the remote control device 300, or those of the base deviceand target device. The clickable input can provide a tactile and audiofeedback of the click sensation.

An elevation unit control component, which can be the controller 506,can control adjustments (e.g., raising, lower, etc.) in one or more ofthe elevation units 21. The sensing group 508 can include an actuationsensing component for sensing actuation activity associated with theshape of the elevation units 21. Accordingly, the flexible surface onthe elevation units 21 and actuation sensing component interact toprovide both input and output to a user of the remote control device300. As shown in FIG. 12, the reconfigurable surface can be utilized toprovide direction input keys 5971.

The reconfigurable surface can be configured as a portion of the touchsensor layer 410 in a case in which the touch sensor layer 410 isdisposed on a top surface of the device 500. In one exemplary case, withrespect to the operations performed by portions of the remote controldevice for providing feedback to the user as discussed with respect toFIG. 6E, the controller 506 can raise certain elevation units 21 at 656in response to a request from, for example, the target device to providecontrol inputs. In another exemplary case of telephony applications, thecontroller 506 can raise certain elevation units 21 to serve as physicaltouch buttons to control telephone call operations like on/off hook,redial, mute, etc.

Other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art fromconsideration of the specification and practice of the inventiondisclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples beconsidered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of theinvention being indicated by the following claims.

1. An apparatus for communicating with a target device comprising: asensing portion for sensing points of user contact with the apparatus,user gestures, and an acceleration value of the apparatus; atransmitting device for sending signals representative of user commandsto the target device; a controller; and a memory including instructionsfor configuring the controller to perform a self-orientation processbased upon at least one of the acceleration value and the points of usercontact to determine a forward direction of a plane of operation fordefining the user gestures, wherein an axis of the determined plane ofoperation substantially intersects the apparatus at any angle.
 2. Theapparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a casing including a topportion, a wall portion and a bottom portion, the casing permittingsignals to be transmitted substantially along the axis of the plane ofoperation.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising: a magneticportion disposed on at least a portion of one of the wall portion, thetop portion and the bottom portion of the casing to permit the apparatusto be attached with another magnetic surface.
 4. The apparatus of claim2, wherein: the sensing portion includes a touch sensor layer disposedon a portion of at least one of the wall portion, the top portion andthe bottom portion for receiving the user gestures; and the controlleris further configured to interpret the user gestures and generate thesignals representative of the user commands based upon the interpreteduser gestures.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein: the touch sensorlayer has a flexible surface with a selectively variable shape; thesensing portion includes an actuation sensing component for sensingactuation activity associated with the shape in the touch sensor layer;and the flexible surface and actuation sensing component interact toprovide both input and output to a user of the apparatus.
 6. Theapparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a flexible surface with aselectively variable shape; and an actuation sensing component forsensing actuation activity associated with the shape in the surface;wherein the flexible surface and actuation sensing component interact toprovide both input and output to a user.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1,further comprising: elevation units that adjust a physical shape of aninput and output surface area, wherein the controller is furtherconfigured to adjusts particular ones of the elevation units.
 8. Theapparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a power management unit; anantenna portion coupled to the power management unit, the antennaportion configured to receive power from a base device.
 9. The apparatusof claim 8, wherein the power management unit is configured to rechargea rechargeable power source utilizing the received power.
 10. Theapparatus of claim 8, wherein the antenna portion includes a radiofrequency antenna for receiving the power by radio frequencycommunication.
 11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the antenna portionincludes a coil antenna or a capacitive platen antenna for receiving thepower by magnetic coupling or capacitive coupling.
 12. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein: the sensing portion senses if the apparatus is withina predetermined distance of a base device or the target device; and thecontroller is further configured to generate a signal representative ofan identification of the apparatus to be transmitted by the transmittingdevice to the base device or the target device when the apparatus iswithin the predetermined distance.
 13. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein: the sensing portion is further for sensing if the apparatus iswithin a predetermined distance of a base device or the target device;the transmitting device includes an antenna portion; and the controlleris further configured to control the transmitting device to transmit tothe base device or the target device a signal including characteristicsparticular to the antenna portion as an identification of the apparatuswhen the apparatus is within the predetermined distance.
 14. Theapparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a receiving device forreceiving a request to associate the apparatus with a base device or thetarget device, wherein the controller is further configured to generatea signal representative of an identification of the apparatus to betransmitted by the transmitting device to the base device or the targetdevice when the apparatus receives the request.
 15. The apparatus ofclaim 1, further comprising: a user input portion for receiving arequest to associate the apparatus with a base device or the targetdevice; wherein the controller is further configured to generate asignal representative of an identification of the apparatus to betransmitted by the transmitting device to the base device or the targetdevice when the apparatus receives the request.
 16. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein: the sensing portion senses motion characteristicsassociated with a user of the apparatus; and the controller is furtherconfigured to generate a signal representative of the motioncharacteristics to be transmitted by the transmitting device to a basedevice or the target device.
 17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein thesensed motion characteristics include data represented in the timedomain, the controller is further configured to shift the datarepresented in the time domain to be data represented in the frequencydomain, and to extract low-dimensional data with high discriminatingproperties from the data represented in the frequency domain to generatethe signal representative of the motions characteristics.
 18. Theapparatus of claim 16, wherein the sensed motion characteristics includeone of a user tremor pattern and a user movement range.
 19. Theapparatus of claim 16, further comprising: a receiving device forreceiving a request for sensor information related to the user from abase device; wherein the controller is further configured to generatethe signal representative of the motion characteristics upon receivingthe request.
 20. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller isfurther configured to store in the memory a gesture motion history, andto generate a signal representative of the gesture motion history to betransmitted by the transmitting device to a base device or the targetdevice.
 21. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is furtherconfigured to generate a signal representative of the points of usercontact to be transmitted by the transmitting device to a base device.22. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a receiving device forreceiving a user feedback request from another device; a user feedbackdevice for providing user feedback, wherein the controller is furtherconfigured to control the user feedback device to provide the userfeedback when the receiving device receives the user feedback request.23. An apparatus comprising: a sensing portion for sensing points ofuser contact with the apparatus and an acceleration value of theapparatus; a controller; and a memory including instructions forconfiguring the controller to perform a self-orientation process basedupon at least one of the acceleration value and the points of usercontact to define a forward direction of user gestures, wherein theforward direction can be fixed along any angle with the apparatus. 24.The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising: a casing including a topportion, a wall portion and a bottom portion; and a magnetic portiondisposed on a portion of the casing to permit the apparatus to beattached with another magnetic surface.
 25. The apparatus of claim 23,wherein: the sensing portion includes a touch sensor layer disposed on aportion of at least one of the wall portion, the top portion and thebottom portion for detecting the user gestures; the controller isfurther configured to interpret the user gestures to generate signalsrepresentative of the user commands; and the apparatus further includesa transmitting device for sending the signals representative of usercommands to a target device.
 26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein:wherein the touch sensor layer has a flexible surface with a selectivelyvariable shape; wherein the sensing portion includes an actuationsensing component for sensing actuation activity associated with theshape in the touch sensor layer; and wherein the flexible surface andactuation sensing component interact to provide both input and output toa user of the apparatus.
 27. The apparatus of claim 23, furthercomprising: a flexible surface with a selectively variable shape; and anactuation sensing component for sensing actuation activity associatedwith the shape in the surface; wherein the flexible surface andactuation sensing component interact to provide both input and output toa user of the apparatus.
 28. The apparatus of claim 23, furthercomprising: a power management unit; an antenna portion coupled to thepower management unit, the antenna portion configured to receive powerfrom a base device.
 29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the powermanagement unit is configured to recharge a rechargeable power sourceutilizing the received power.
 30. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein:the sensing portion senses if the apparatus is within a predetermineddistance of a base device; and the controller is further configured togenerate a signal representative of an identification of the apparatusto be transmitted by the transmitting device to the base device when theapparatus is within the predetermined distance.
 31. The apparatus ofclaim 23, further comprising: a receiving device for receiving a requestto associate the apparatus with a base device; wherein the controller isfurther configured to generate a signal representative of anidentification of the apparatus to be transmitted by the transmittingdevice to the base device when the apparatus receives the request. 32.The apparatus of claim 23, wherein: the controller is further configuredto generate a signal representative of characteristics associated with auser of the apparatus to be transmitted by the transmitting device to abase device, the sensed characteristics include one of a user tremorpattern, a user movement range, a gesture motion history and the pointsof user contact.
 33. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising: areceiving device for receiving a user feedback request from anotherdevice; a user feedback device for providing user feedback, wherein thecontroller is further configured to control the user feedback device toprovide the user feedback when the receiving device receives the userfeedback request.
 34. An apparatus comprising: an accelerometer fordetermining an acceleration value associated with the apparatus; agyroscope for measuring angular rotation associated with the apparatusto provide an orientation value; a touch sensor for sensing points ofuser contact with the apparatus; and a self-orientation determinationdevice for determining a plane of operation defining user gestures basedupon the acceleration value, orientation value and points of usercontact, wherein the plane of operation is rotatable at any angle of theapparatus.
 35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the touch sensor isdisposed on a portion of at least one of a wall portion, a top portionand a bottom portion of the apparatus for detecting the user gestures,and the apparatus further includes: a gesture type determining devicefor determining if the user gesture is an absolute-type gesture or arelative-type gesture; a gesture direction determination device fordetermining a direction of the absolute-type gesture; and a gestureinterpretation device for interpreting the absolute-type gesture andrelative-type gesture as user commands.
 36. The apparatus of claim 35,further comprising: a magnetic portion disposed on a portion of one ofthe wall portion, top portion and bottom portion to permit the apparatusto be attached with another magnetic surface.
 37. The apparatus of claim35, further comprising a transmitting device for sending signalsrepresentative of the user commands to a target device.
 38. Theapparatus of claim 34, wherein: the touch sensor layer has a flexiblesurface with a selectively variable shape; the sensing portion includesan actuation sensing component for sensing actuation activity associatedwith the shape in the touch sensor layer; and the flexible surface andactuation sensing component interact to provide both input and output toa user of the apparatus.
 39. The apparatus of claim 34, furthercomprising: a flexible surface with a selectively variable shape; and anactuation sensing component for sensing actuation activity associatedwith the shape in the surface; wherein the flexible surface andactuation sensing component interact to provide both input and output toa user of the system.
 40. The apparatus of claim 34, further comprising:a power management unit; an antenna portion coupled to the powermanagement unit, the antenna portion configured to receive power from abase device.
 41. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein the power managementunit is configured to recharge a rechargeable power source utilizing thereceived power.
 42. The apparatus of claim 34, further comprising: asensing portion for sensing if the apparatus is within a predetermineddistance of a base device; a controller configured to generate a signalrepresentative of an identification of the apparatus; and a transmittingdevice for transmitting the signal representative of the identificationof the apparatus to the base device when the apparatus is within thepredetermined distance.
 43. The apparatus of claim 34, furthercomprising: a receiving device for receiving a request to associate theapparatus with a base device; a controller configured to generate asignal representative of an identification of the apparatus; and atransmitter for transmitting the signal representative of theidentification to the base device in response to the request.
 44. Theapparatus of claim 34, further comprising: a controller configured togenerate a signal representative of characteristics associated with auser of the apparatus; and a transmitter for transmitting the signalrepresentative of the characteristics to a base device, wherein thesensed characteristics include one of a user tremor pattern, a usermovement range, a gesture motion history and the points of user contact.45. The apparatus of claim 34, further comprising: a receiving devicefor receiving a user feedback request from another device; a userfeedback device for providing user feedback in response to the userfeedback request.
 46. A system comprising a remote control device forremotely controlling a target device, wherein: the target devicecomprises: an interface for receiving signals representative of usercommands wirelessly from the remote control device; and a controller forexecuting instructions based upon the user commands; the remote controldevice comprises: a sensing portion for sensing points of user contactwith the apparatus, user gestures, and an acceleration value of theremote control device; a transmitting device for sending the signalsrepresentative of the user commands to the target device; a controller;a memory including instructions for configuring the controller toperform a self-orientation process based upon at least one of theacceleration value and the points of user contact to determine a forwarddirection of a plane of operation for defining the user gestures, and tointerpret the user gestures as the user commands; and a transmittingdevice for sending signals representative of the user commands to thetarget device; wherein an axis of the determined plane of operationsubstantially intersects the remote control device at any angle.
 47. Thesystem of claim 46, wherein the controller of the remote control deviceis further configured to: determine if the user gesture is anabsolute-type gesture or a relative-type gesture; determine a directionof the absolute-type gesture; and interpret the absolute-type gestureand relative-type gesture as the user commands.
 48. The system of claim46, further comprising: a base device; wherein the remote control devicefurther comprises: a power management unit; and an antenna portioncoupled to the power management unit, the antenna portion configured toreceive power from the base device.
 49. The system of claim 46, furthercomprising: a base device; wherein the sensing portion of the remotecontrol device senses if the remote control device is within apredetermined distance of the base device; the controller is configuredto generate a signal representative of an identification of the remotecontrol device; and the transmitting device transmits the signalrepresentative of the identification to the base device when the remotecontrol device is within the predetermined distance.
 50. The system ofclaim 46, further comprising a base device: wherein the remote controldevice further includes a receiving device for receiving a request toassociate the remote control device with the base device; the controlleris configured to generate a signal representative of an identificationof the remote control device; and the transmitting device transmits thesignal representative of the identification to the base device inresponse to the request.
 51. A method of remotely communicating usercommands from a first apparatus to a target apparatus based upon usergestures input at the first apparatus, the method comprising: sensingpoints of user contact with the first apparatus and an accelerationvalue of the remote control device; determining a forward direction of aplane of operation based upon at least one of the acceleration value andthe points of user contact, wherein the plane of operation defines aninput space for the user gestures and the plane of operationsubstantially intersects the first apparatus at any angle; interpretingthe user gestures into the user commands; and transmitting signalsrepresentative of the user commands to the target apparatus.
 52. Themethod of claim 51, further comprising: determining if the firstapparatus is within a predetermined distance of a base device;generating a signal representative of an identification of the firstapparatus; and transmitting the signal representative of theidentification to the base device when the first apparatus is within thepredetermined distance.
 53. The method of claim 51, further comprising:receiving a user feedback request from the target device; and providinguser feedback upon receiving the user feedback request.
 54. The methodof claim 51, further comprising: determining motion characteristicsassociated with a user of the first apparatus; and generating a signalrepresentative of the motion characteristics; and transmitting thesignal to the target apparatus.
 55. The method of claim 54, wherein thedetermined motion characteristics include one of a user tremor patternand a user movement range.
 56. The method of claim 54, furthercomprising: receiving a request for sensor information related to theuser; and generating the signal representative of the motioncharacteristics upon receiving the request.